ANC Election 2020: Meet Michael Lussier

Becoming an Ancillary Neighborhood Commissioner can be thankless — it’s two years of unpaid work on behalf of your neighbors, who will strongly express their feelings if they feel things are not going well. The majority of Single Member Districts, 57%, are uncontested, with only one candidate. So it’s kind of uncanny that we have two three-way races in ANC 5D! In Trinidad, we have the race to represent 5D06, between Marina Budimir, Zachary Hoffman and Michael Lussier. So voters can make as informed a choice as possible, I’ve interviewed all three here. Stay tuned for upcoming posts about Salvador Sauceda-Guzman (5D02) and Stephen Cobb (5D07) as well as some non-politics content!

Of the three candidates for 5D06, Michael Lussier landed in Trinidad most recently, having moved to D.C. in 2017 and bought a new condo here in late 2018. Lussier had a negative experience buying his condo, and he worked with the other owners in his building to resolve the issues, but was alarmed to find out that the developer planned to build other projects in the neighborhood, and that there was no ANC commissioner representing 5D06 when he needed one most. (Jason Burkett resigned in March.) So he decided to run. “I had some capacity and time to dedicate,” says Lussier.

Lussier identifies as white and is a consulting engineer for Arlington County Public Schools. He lives on Montello Ave, near Florida Ave. His transportation priorities include reducing speeding throughout Trinidad and building bus shelters on Trinidad Ave and Montello Ave. For housing, Lussier wants to encourage developers who won’t take shortcuts because of financial constraints. “We want to make sure we’re promoting developers who have the ability to think through the entire process and build something that will last the 75 years it's supposed to last,” he says.

Lussier also says he wants to rebuild the ANCs relationship with police and violence interrupters and get every light post and camera working for visibility and surveillance. He says that the ANC budget should be more transparent. “We do need to be more economical and more upfront about how to spend money,” he says.

Admitting that he might “not be the right person at first,” Lussier is confident that he has the “passion and gumption” to learn and carry out the job of Commissioner. Compared to his competitor, Zachary Hoffman, Lussier says he is someone who is going to be “long term in the neighborhood, focused on the neighborhood, not larger aspirations.” Like many neighbors, he first learned of Marina Budimir’s platform earlier this week, from this post.

On many issues, like increased bus and bike access, all three candidates align. All three also want to support local businesses, increase communication to residents during the pandemic, and increase affordable housing options. They also all want to support violence interrupters, look closer at changing the police budget, and better facilitate grant-giving.

“I thought that my platform was more in the realm of what an ANC Commissioner can actually accomplish,” he says. “I have the resources, time and knowledge to effect positive change in the neighborhood. Prioritize what’s needed in the neighborhood and what neighbors actually need. I am the best candidate because I am able to listen, distill information and take that and communicate it to the larger group.”

Photo courtesy of Michael Lussier.